Monitoring meadow birds at restoration sites along the Little Truckee River Helen Loffland ● Rodney Siegel ● Bob Wilkerson The Institute for Bird Populations, PO Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA ABSTRACT We developed a monitoring protocol to assess how bird populations respond to meadow restoration activities. During summer 2010 we conducted pre-restoration bird surveys at 28 meadows proposed for restoration and 32 reference meadows in the Sierra Nevada. Study sites were identified in collaboration with public and private land managers. Monitoring visits included point count surveys, broadcast surveys, area searches, and vegetation and soil moisture assessments. Here we describes results of the pre-restoration monitoring completed at one restoration/reference pair of meadows on the Tahoe National Forest. Results of these surveys provide baseline information for assessing the effects of restoration activities completed in late fall 2010 on bird populations at the Perazzo Middle Meadow site along the Little Truckee River. WHY MONITOR MEADOW BIRDS? Montane meadows in the Sierra Nevada form ecological islands that provide abundant water, food, and cover for birds and other wildlife. At many Sierra meadows, human activities have altered meadow hydrology, changing meadow plant communities, often diminishing habitat quality for native birds. Throughout the Sierra Nevada, many public and private land managers are now restoring or enhancing meadow habitats – often by addressing the historical management legacies that have led to poorly watered meadows. One way to assess the success of meadow restoration is to monitor the responses of bird populations that inhabit the meadow. Birds can respond rapidly and dramatically to meadow restoration – often exhibiting population increases or even colonization of new sites within as little as one year after restoration efforts are implemented. METHODS BACI (Before, After, Control, Impact) monitoring scheme, in which restoration sites were paired with reference sites where no restoration activities are imminent. 2 survey visits per season, between May 20 – July 15 Surveys conducted pre- and post-restoration Surveys include 7-min point counts, area searches, and rapid vegetation assessments Methods followed Loffland et al (see image at right; full protocol available at Sierra/sierra_meadows.htm) Both the restoration site at Perazzo Middle Meadow (above left) and the paired reference site at Little Truckee below Stampede Reservoir (above right) occur along the Little Truckee River which flows east from the Sierra Nevada Crest. Magenta circles indicate bird survey stations, which 250 m apart. MEADOW FOCAL SPECIES We identified Focal Species for assessment and analysis that are likely to respond to meadow restoration and that require a variety of meadow habitats, including riparian shrubs, open grassland, emergent vegetation, and gravel bars: Virginia RailYellow Warbler SoraMacGillivray’s Warbler Sandhill CraneCommon Yellowthroat Spotted SandpiperWilson’s Warbler Wilson’s SnipeYellow-breasted Chat Red-breasted SapsuckerSong Sparrow Willow FlycatcherLincoln’s Sparrow Warbling VireoWhite-crowned Sparrow Swainson’s ThrushBrown-headed Cowbird Species Perazzo Middle Meadow Little Truckee Below Stampede Res. Canada Goose X MallardXX Cinnamon TealX Northern PintailX Green-winged TealX Common MerganserXX Mountain QuailXX California Quail X Turkey Vulture X OspreyXX Red-tailed HawkXX American Kestrel X Virginia RailX KilldeerX Spotted SandpiperXX Wilson's SnipeX California Gull X Mourning Dove X Calliope HummingbirdX Rufous HummingbirdX Belted Kingfisher X Williamson's SapsuckerX Red-breasted SapsuckerXX Hairy WoodpeckerX Northern FlickerXX Pileated WoodpeckerX Olive-sided FlycatcherXX Western Wood-PeweeXX Willow FlycatcherX Dusky FlycatcherX Warbling VireoXX Steller's JayXX Clark's NutcrackerXX Common RavenXX Horned Lark X Tree SwallowXX Northern Rough-winged SwallowXX Cliff Swallow X Mountain ChickadeeXX Red-breasted NuthatchXX White-breasted NuthatchX Brown CreeperXX House WrenXX Western BluebirdX Townsend's SolitaireXX Hermit ThrushX American RobinXX European StarlingXX Orange-crowned Warbler X Nashville WarblerXX Yellow WarblerXX Yellow-rumped WarblerXX MacGillivray's WarblerXX Wilson's WarblerXX Western TanagerX Green-tailed TowheeXX Spotted TowheeX Chipping SparrowXX Brewer's Sparrow X Vesper SparrowXX Savannah SparrowXX Fox Sparrow X Song SparrowXX Lincoln's SparrowXX White-crowned SparrowXX Dark-eyed JuncoXX Black-headed GrosbeakX Red-winged BlackbirdXX Brewer's BlackbirdXX Brown-headed CowbirdXX Cassin's FinchX Pine SiskinX Lesser GoldfinchXX Evening GrosbeakX Meadow Name a Measure b Percent Cover TreesSnags Riparian ShrubsSagebrush Non-Woody Vegetation Bare Ground Gravel Bar Flowing Water Standing Water Perazzo Middle Meadow Mean (S.E.) Little Truckee below Stampede Res. Mean (S.E.) VEGETATION RESULTS: Average vegetative and water cover characteristics for 50-m plots surrounding survey stations at each meadow. a Restoration sites indicated in bold text. b Mean and standard error averaged over four 50-m radius quadrants at each survey station. POINT COUNT RESULTS: focal species detection rates (Avg. no. birds station) POINT COUNT & AREA SEARCH RESULTS: All species detected. Focal species indicated in bold text. Meadow Name No. Species Detected - Area Searches No. Species Detected - Point Counts No. Species Detected Only During Area Searches No. Species - Both Methods Combined Perazzo Middle Meadow Little Truckee below Stampede Res POINT COUNT & AREA SEARCH RESULTS: No. species detected using each method. Perazzo Meadows STUDY AREA RESULTS (from Perazzo Middle Meadow and its associated reference site only) CONCLUSIONS Monitoring bird populations at restoration and reference sites before and after restoration will reveal how species respond to restoration, and how responses vary by type of restoration, locality, and time since restoration. Such results are needed to document successful restoration, and to further hone restoration methods through adaptive management. Willow Flycatcher MacGillivray’s Warbler